The Supply Run to ISS

Progress spacecraft on Soyuz rocket (photo credit RIA Novosti Oleg Urusov).

A Progress supply capsule was launched on Wednesday, carrying cargo to the International Space Station. NASA calls this mission Progress 40. The Russians have been running a very successful resupply system to the ISS for some time now, and it's actually pleasing to see something run this well. The "cargo ship" will make its automated robotic docking ahead of the DIscovery Shuttle flight expected to take off on November 1st. The older Progress cargo pod, now filled with garbage and waste has already undocked from the ISS in anticipation of this new cargo pod on its way up. The older capsule will burn up in a controlled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. THe picture above was taken by Oleg Urusov, and I thought it was a beautiful view of the rocket on the pad in Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was published on Spacetoday.net by Jeff Foust. I highly recommend that space news site.